Loyalty Is Only A Seven Letter Word
by StylishFashionista
Summary: After a train of unexpected events, Jasmine lives in New York City, and Garrett lives in Gettysburg. Over 200 miles away. But when Jasmine suddenly comes back to Gettysburg, there's nothing that can keep them apart anymore, right? One problem though: Garrett seems to have replaced her. Historical AU-American Civil War. Part of my I Didn't Do It Trilogy. Other genres-Hurt/Comfort
1. Part 11

**Hi guys! It's StylishFashionista, and I finally got off my butt and wrote this! I'm really sorry; I know that I promised a week or so later in Trust Is Only A Five Letter Word (which you should read, by the way). But I got super busy and stuff because of all of the trips I took and the fact that I'm planning something super secret for you guys (which may never be finished, but I hope it'll be done as soon as possible!). Also, school started for me, so I'll be less available. I'll most likely be on most often on Sunday, but please don't hold me on that. Also, the Jogan episode did not help. But, hey, the fact that I'm back should count most, right? *crickets* No? Okay. But I hope you guys enjoy. I'll stop rambling now so then you guys can start reading.**

***insert disclaimer here***

**You'll get that if you read Trust Is Only A Five Letter Word (seriously, if you didn't read that yet, go read that right now!)**

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><p>New York City was surprisingly smaller than I remembered it. It was literally just an island. Okay, I already knew that, but it felt teensy compared to Gettysburg. Maybe it was because I was only 6 the last time I came here or the fact that I learned that there was more to Gettysburg than my house. It felt small though.<p>

But I felt weird here. Extremely weird. I kind of felt like when I approached a new customer back at the shoe store.

Look at me. I was already thinking about Garrett and his dad, and I had only been at New York for a couple of minutes.

But who could blame me? Gettysburg was a huge part of my life, and I was sad to leave it. That, and I felt extremely awkward and out of place here. How was I going to adapt to this big - okay, small - city?

Jasmine, take deep breaths. You felt this way when you first started living with Garrett, and see how that turned out. You'll be fine here.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

I felt bad here. My mind would just float and start thinking about Garrett. And, goddamn, I had only just walked out of the train station, trailing behind my more-than-energetic grandmother. She was excited because I was living here with her, and I wasn't just going to think about Garrett the entire time. I was going to make friends and have fun here.

Okay. This was a lot of walking. It felt like I was walking for ages.

"Grandma, how much longer is it?" I called out to her.

She turned around, almost reluctantly. I had no clue how I could tell that. "Just a couple more blocks. We'll be there shortly."

Few more blocks my ass. The New York blocks seemed like eternity. They were much longer than most blocks, that was for sure. Or maybe Gettyburg's blocks were shorter than most blocks…

I gave up. There was no way I would stop thinking about Gettysburg, Garrett, his father, the shoe store… everything.

"This is it!" my grandmother said, finally stopping and motioning to the building in front of her. I found myself sighing in relief as I look at it. It was a small, brick building, maybe only a couple stories taller than Garrett's house. I looked at the street sign. We were on 23rd Street and Madison Avenue. The train station was on 30th Street and 11th Avenue. That was a lot of blocks. I thanked the comfortable (and fashionable!) shoes that Garrett's dad made for me.

My grandmother walked us in and then went up a couple of stairs. I had just realized that New York was practically comprised with apartments only; there were no houses here at all. A small apartment that my grandmother and I had to share? Perfect. Just perfect.

On the fourth floor, she finally stopped to unlock the door. Each floor only had one apartment, which I was relieved for. I could take all of the space I could get.

And before I knew it, the door was open and my grandmother walked in a few steps before turning to me. "So? What do you think?"

I shrug. "I don't know. Maybe you could let me in first?"

My grandmother's face went blank as she nodded hastily. "Yes! Of course!"

I walked. It was cozy, to put it lightly. There was a kitchen with a living room, two bedrooms, and a bath. It was even smaller than a floor at Garrett's place. Granted, it was New York we were talking about, but still! And to think that I used to live in a mansion before this mishap… It was crazy!

"It's great, Grandma," I said with a smile. That lie slipped through my teeth so easily it almost scared me. Almost. Now I just needed to get used to this place and then maybe it would be alright.

My grandmother smiled, to my relief. "That's good." I then decided to disappear into my bedroom. It was much smaller than my room back in Gettysburg. All it could really fit was a bed and a small nightstand dresser next to it that would also function as a desk. I really needed to get used to this.

Automatically, I took out a piece of paper and a feather with ink. I had taken them from trading. Then, I took out the letter that Garrett gave to me. I read it once more, and blushed once more. I really miss him. I really do.

Finally, I am able to start writing a letter of my own. There were so many places I wanted to start and so many ideas that were circling through my head, waiting desperately to be inked on paper.

_Garrett,_

_Let me just start with the fact that I miss you already. It just doesn't feel the same without you._

_New York is weird, I guess. It's smaller than how I remembered it. But I'm okay with it. I'll get used to it eventually. At least, I hope. Maybe New York will stay weird forever._

_Okay, that was weird…_

_Honestly, you're probably wasting your time reading this letter, because I'm literally writing about nothing right now. But I really wanted to write a letter to you. In fact, once I got to my apartment, the first thing I did was go to my room and take out a piece of paper and a feather to start writing. I really miss you, and I just had to say something. I mean, if I didn't write a letter back to you, I would be so mean!_

_I guess this leads to what I really want to say: I love you too. More than anything. And I can't wait to visit. I want to see you as soon as I can._

_Love,_

_Jasmine_

That might have been the worst thing I had ever wrote. I thought of myself as a decent writer, but obviously I was mistaken. Garrett changed me so much.

I asked my grandmother where the post office was, and she told me. It was just a couple blocks away, which was good since I didn't want to walk much farther. Once I got there, I folded the piece of paper and placed it in an envelope. Then I wrote the necessary addresses and placed a stamp on the top right hand corner, before giving it to the woman to send to Garrett.

I couldn't wait for a response.

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><p>I checked the mailbox once again. I had been doing this for a month now, just waiting for Garrett's letter. And, honestly, I was getting sick of checking. I just really wanted a letter back! Was that too much to ask? Granted, the postal system wasn't very fast, but he probably got my letter by now, right? And he probably already wrote me a letter and sent it back, correct? I was just overthinking this and it would come the next day?<p>

No. He didn't. If he did, I would've already got a letter back and I wouldn't be standing at the post office door right now. I just needed to stop worrying. It was all the post office's fault. They were so freaking slow!

A lady who looked like she was in her 40s yelled at me to get out of the way, since I was standing in the middle of the post office entrance, so I apologized profusely and got out of the way. I stopped staring at my empty hands and finally decided to walk home. I was getting used to this city. There were a few cafes and a couple boutiques I would stop by from time to time, just so then I wouldn't be bored. Everyone said that New York is such an eventful place, but I had to beg to differ.

Maybe I was just lonely. There was this one person who my mom was friends with who said that New York was amazing if you found the right people to hang out with, and I hadn't even attempted to make friends. I determined that I would meet people after the war, when I could go to Columbia's nursing school. That, or I was just too hung up.

Once I unlocked my apartment, my grandmother was sitting on the couch reading a newspaper, which I found weird since she usually sat at the table. I internally shrugged it off, walking up to her. "Hey," I smiled, giving her a side hug and a kiss on the cheek. She turned to me and smiled back.

"Hey Jasmine." She patted the couch to motion me to have a seat next to her. "We need to talk."

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I sat down next to her. "Why? Is everything okay?"

She sighed, handing me the newspaper she was reading. She pointed at a certain article, and I read the title of it. Columbia Nursing School Construction Postponed Until War Is Over. I blinked a couple times before it registered in my head. Columbia wasn't going to finish their nursing school until the war was over. And, honestly, I didn't have a clue for when the war was going to end. It seemed like it had been going on for eternity.

Well, this sucked. One of the reasons I came to New York was now thrown out of the window.

"I'm so sorry," my grandmother choked out after a long silence. I finally diverted my eyes away from the article to look at her.

"Don't worry," I said, trying to bring a smile to my face (and hoping my attempt was successful). "It's fine."

"Well, it will be," my grandmother added in a mutter, and I looked at her seriously. What was she implying?

"What do you mean?" I asked her, bracing myself for the answer. I meant, my grandmother brought me here for crying out loud. I needed to expect the unexpected.

"I've been thinking," she started with a sigh, "and I think that we should move back to Gettysburg."

I was honestly shocked. My grandmother was notorious in my family for always bringing abrupt changes, and I knew to expect the unexpected, but I was certainly not thinking that. We moved here just about a month ago, and now she wanted me to move back? What was this month for?

My thoughts were super cluttered, so all I could ask was, "Why?"

She sighed. "I really wanted you to go to that nursing school and for you to live here with me, but I know that you're not enjoying it here that much. I really want you to be happy. So, let's move back. I know you loved it there."

I looked at her, just blinking. Was she serious?

"I-I don't know what to say," I choked out, and I wasn't lying. I seriously didn't know what I was supposed to say. Of course I was happy. In fact, I was ecstatic. But, Garrett. He hadn't responded to my letter yet. Did he still want to see me?

I shook my head. Of course he did. He said he loved me. He still had to mean it.

"Just say what you're thinking," my grandmother urged.

"I'm thinking that this is great," I said to her, hoping that was the right thing to say. "When will we move?"

"Honestly, I was thinking that we would be at Gettysburg in a week or so," my grandmother told me. "Are you okay with that?"

I just nodded. I didn't want to say anything.

"That's great," my grandmother exclaimed, smiling. "I'll pack up. You don't have to do anything! We'll be on that train back next week, I swear!"

I just smiled, allowing her to rant on. Of course I was excited. But I didn't know if Garrett would be.

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><p><strong>Just on a note, Columbia's nursery school didn't open until 1892, well into the Reconstruction era and way after the Civil War ended.<strong>

**Okay, updates may be a bit slow since I'm in high school now. But I'll be sure to work on this anytime I can. I really love this trilogy; I can't just give it up! Again, sorry for posting this so late. I hope you guys are still interested, because I know I am!**

**Anyways, Jasmine's going back to Gettysburg! I mean, could you expect anything less? I honestly hope you like this chapter; I'm feeling okay about it, to be honest. Are you excited for more? If you are, please write a review! I would love to have 5, please. :)**


	2. Part 12

**Hi guys! It's StylishFashionista. :) I know usually I don't update until I get my requested reviews, but today's a special day. It's my three-year anniversary for FanFiction! That's right - I've been posting fanfics for three years now! Can you believe it? I sure can't; time flew so fast! Anyways, it's New Years Eve, and I was wondering if you guys are committing to any New Year's Resolutions. Mine are for Pokemon - I want to actually start my shiny giveaway on Marriland and I want to Masuda some more. Anyways, I'm done. I guess I'm off to reviews!**

**UltimateWarriorFan4Ever-Hahaha thanks!**

**Bonjour10-Loyalty will definitely be tested in this story, that's for sure! I guess it seemed short in the chapter, but I tried to emphasize that it's been two months, which is plenty of time for Jasmine and Garrett to move on. At least Jasmine's grandmother realizes that it's not going to be done in time for Jasmine to go to school there, and I'm so happy that she and Jasmine are going back. :) Thanks so much for the review!**

**Emma-Thanks so much!**

***insert disclaimer here***

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><p>During the train ride back, I was jittery for all the wrong reasons.<p>

One, it was getting really chilly inside the train. Also, my head was starting to hurt. My grandmother was asleep, and she was snoring really loud. Plus, the chair was not comfortable.

Okay, maybe I was trying my best to not think of Garrett.

But who could blame me? I still hadn't got a letter back from him. Not even during the week that was spent packing. I still refused to lose faith, however. Maybe it just didn't send yet. Maybe the mail was oddly slow. Maybe it was lost mysteriously. However, my grandmother still thought that I was acting a bit pathetic. But after all we went through, it couldn't just have ended like this. Garrett would've never allowed that. I would've never allowed that.

I found myself taking out another sheet of paper. I didn't feel like sending another letter, but I thought that I should since Garrett seemed to have never received my first one. I would take it to their house and deliver it under their door so then they couldn't miss it. Then, I could make a grand entrance back to him once I knew he read it. It would be so sweet and romantic. What could go wrong?

I took out some ink and a feather as well, being extremely careful to not wake up my grandmother. Then, I started writing again for the first time in a bit more than two months.

_Dear Garrett,_

_It feels like forever since we last spoke. It's been more than two months, and honestly, that's an eternity to me. I'm sorry if I'm being blunt, but I don't even know why I haven't received a letter back yet. I sent one to you right when I got in New York. Did you receive it? I assume you didn't since I never received a letter back. I guess we can blame the mailing system, right?_

_If you didn't get the last letter, I'll tell you the gist of it. I loved your letter. It made my day so much better, and I knew I could get through New York just with that one letter. It was beautifully written and I blush every single time I read it. I have that letter to this day. It's in my pocket right now. Also, I'm wearing the dress we bought at Grace's store right now. It's gorgeous._

_If you're wondering why you (or your dad - tell him I say hi!) found this slipped under the front door to your store instead of in the post office, then you're not mistaken at all. I'm here! I got into Gettysburg today and I just had to tell you. It'll be awesome! I promised I'd come back, and I officially am! Okay, the nursing school isn't going to be finished until after the war, and since one of the main reasons my grandmother wanted me to move to New York is that, she decided for us to move back for good! Isn't this great? I hope you're as elated as I am right now!_

_This is actually longer than my original letter. I just want to say I've missed you so much. Once my grandmother and I finish unpacking, the first place I'm going is your house. Hey, maybe I can work at the shoe store with you and your dad again? Can I? Please?_

_Love,_

_Jasmine_

Once I finished the letter, I folded it as neatly as I could before placing it into my pocket. It was the same one as the one with Garrett's original letter. My hand reached into the pocket once more for his letter, but then I stopped myself. I didn't want to be desperate. However, I had to refrain myself from ever reaching for my pocket again.

Once we were at Gettysburg, I woke up my grandmother. We grabbed our luggage before walking out of the train. The train station was exactly the same. It felt like I was just here a day ago, saying goodbye to Garrett and his father.

My grandmother led me to our new house. The streets were still the same. I knew the streets from the top of my head after all of that trading Garrett and I did. I could navigate myself anywhere with my eyes closed.

We passed by Grace's boutique. I wanted to say hi, but then I realized that she would tell Garrett that I was back. I wanted it to be a surprise. New clothes draped the small, wooden mannequins. The last time I was there, the dress I was wearing today was on the mannequin, only in a different color. Was I really gone for that long? Did the trends change that much? Okay, I did keep track of all of the trends in New York City, but they were different here. Was that saying that New York City and Gettysburg had different styles?

I was pretty sure I was going insane, but I believed that Gettysburg had the better trends.

Okay, I was going insane.

It was probably just because I missed it here so much, but I had another feeling that wasn't the entire story. Some of my best memories were rooted here, with Garrett, while we were trading. My opinions were probably influenced by that.

Was it bad that I kind of hated that?

We finally got to our new house. There were stairs leading up to the door, and it was nice and extravagant. It was only a block away from Grace's boutique, which was probably going to benefit me if I ever wanted to buy new clothes. I was so excited to walk in to see the new house. My grandmother had sent the furniture on horse five days ago, so they were probably here already.

And they were. The house was completely furnished, and it looked absolutely amazing. The house was much bigger than our apartment in NYC and Garrett's. The lower level had a huge kitchen, a huge living room, a huge dining room, and a nice little study filled with books and a desk. The upper level housed the two bedrooms, bathrooms, and a bunch of closets. It was really nice. I actually really liked it.

My grandmother walked to the study and told me that she was going to fill out some paperwork. She told me to go see Garrett and his dad, since she knew that I wanted to see them so much. She knew me so well. I thanked her before walking out and towards Garrett's house. I wanted to deliver his letter right now.

On the way to his house, there was this huge plaza in the middle of Gettysburg. It had a nice fountain in the middle of it, and it was usually filled with a bunch of people on nice days. On holidays, the entire town would gather there to celebrate. Those were the only times I would go into town before the Battle of Gettysburg. The plaza was the only place I knew before the battle. If one lived in Gettysburg, they knew about the plaza. It was just something that was known throughout the town. It was a given.

I looked to the fountain to admire its beauty, and that was when I saw it. Garrett was with a bunch of people; I counted four others. One of them I recognized: Grace. She was wearing a pale pink dress with a white lace bodice and a flowy skirt; it was gorgeous. I didn't recognize the others, however. One of them was a blonde guy with blue eyes - they weren't nearly as dazzling as Garrett's. He had a goofy smile, which seemed to suit him. Another one was a brunette with glasses. Like the blond, she had a goofy smile, but it was much more quirky. Her dress was cut weirdly - it was slanted and lopsided. If I ever talked to her, I really needed to tell her that the slanted dress was a big no-no. Grace seemed to be friends with her. Why didn't she say anything?

The third one was a blonde girl. Her hair was straight, like mine, and she was wearing what was possibly one of the prettiest dresses I've ever seen. Plus, she was super pretty. I was so envious of her.

Then, she kissed Garrett's cheek.

So many emotions rushed through my mind as I knew I had to get out of there. I turned on my heels and walked as quickly as I could home. I just wanted to get that image out of my head, but I couldn't, no matter how much I tried. I felt angry, disappointed, sad, vengeful, pathetic, and so much more. My mind didn't seem to be able to settle on any emotion. I just felt every negative emotion in a blur. And it felt horrible.

Once I got back, I immediately ripped the letter I wrote into tiny pieces, my anger being released while doing so. I couldn't tell whether I felt better or worse after that. I let out my anger, and I knew that I should've been feeling better after that action, but it just reminded me of all of the effort I put into Garrett. I wrote TWO letters for him where I poured out all of my feelings to him, I thought about him all the time while I was at New York, and I even fretted the worse when he never wrote me back and lost all my trust for the post office. And what was all of that for? To see a blonde girl kiss him on the cheek once I came back? I invested so much time for Garrett, and he gave me that in return. I was so heartbroken.

My grandmother snuck up on me, and I jumped once I heard her say, "Jasmine? Are you okay?"

Once I recovered from that mini heart attack, I turned to her and faked a smile. "Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine. Why would you think otherwise?"

My grandmother laughed, but then stopped herself. She must've regretted that. "You were staring into the trash and panting. I don't think you would be doing that if you weren't okay."

I sighed. I wasn't acting sane at the moment - in fact, I hadn't been acting sane for a while now. I just wanted to get better. And I knew that I needed to get over Garrett if I wanted to.

"Grandma, I want to go back to New York."

She quirked an eyebrow at me, both in disbelief and anger. "Jasmine, are you sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Garrett doesn't care about me anymore, so what's the reason to stay? The only reason I wanted to come back was him anyways. Might as well just go back and start over."

My grandmother didn't even seem to consider it, which shocked me. I thought she loved it there! She just shook her head firmly. "Oh, no, Jasmine. We are staying here."

"What?" I said, desperate. "Bu-"

"No buts!" my grandmother exclaimed, and I shut my mouth. This was the first time she had ever yelled at me, and honestly, it was kind of scaring me. "We are not going back, and that is final. Okay? You are going to stay here and either try to make amends with Garrett or forget about him. I am sorry for whatever happened, but I am not going back to New York after all of the work I put in to move back here to make you happy. We are staying here in this nice house, and you will not argue with that."

I nodded, just taking it all in. I blinked back a couple of tears. I wasn't crying because of my grandmother - in fact, I needed to hear that. I was crying because of Garrett and how he treated me. I thought he loved me. He just stabbed me in the back, right in the heart. I wanted to hate him so much.

My grandmother just hugged me and apologized profusely. I kept reminding her that it wasn't her fault and that Garrett was the person that pissed me off, not her. I just wanted to forget Garrett and everything that happened here. I didn't need him. This was a new start, and I was going to be just fine without him.

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><p><strong>Well... that was a turn of events. XD Don't worry, Jarrett is endgame! :) If you guys liked the chapter, make sure to leave a review. May I have 10 please? Thank you all for reading!<strong>


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